Correction appended

Stan Sheetz wants to free his beer.

Sheetz, one of the owners of the popular convenience stores of the same name, and his marketing department launched a full-fledged campaign earlier this month to petition lawmakers to change state liquor laws.

Sheetz launched freemybeer.com on Nov. 1, Sheetz Public Relations Manager Monica Jones said. Since then, the store has collected thousands of signatures from Pennsylvanians who agree that it should be able to sell beer, Stan Sheetz said.

But some local authorities think the last thing State College needs more of is alcohol.

"I don't want to see any more alcohol available in State College or the region," State College Borough Council member Ron Filippelli said. "We already have too much."

Stan Sheetz said he's looking beyond State College and into every corner of the state to get more signatures.

"I'm not going to focus just on Penn State, I want to urge all people," he said. "It's about 'free my beer' -- they've got it all locked up."

He's referring to the state lawmakers, who for more than three decades have refused to change liquor laws that would enable Sheetz to sell beer, he said.

Spokespeople from Gov. Ed Rendell's office referred comment to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). The PLCB declined comment.

"We've been trying to get the attention of the legislators in Harrisburg," Sheetz said. "We just can't get their attention."

But Sheetz got that attention last July, when the PLCB slapped them with a lawsuit regarding a Sheetz in Altoona, the only Sheetz store in Pennsylvania allowed to sell alcohol, Jones said.

The Altoona Sheetz is unique because it operates as a restaurant, and that's why it was able to sell beer, Jones said. But store officials don't want patrons consuming the alcohol there, she said.

"We were really only interested in selling for take-home," she said. "We just want people to be able to take a six-pack that they purchase along with other items and take it home."

Pennsylvania is the only state of the six states with Sheetz locations where law restricts beer from being sold, Stan Sheetz said.

Currently, Sheetz sells beer in more than150 stores, he said.

"We're responsible retailers," he said. "We do not sell it to underage customers. We ID every alcohol customer."

This article incorrectly stated some information. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board did not file a lawsuit. The Board granted Sheetz a liquor license, a decision that the Malt Beverage Distributors Association appealed. The state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Distributors Association.